A/C for Conservatory - Quote

[badgerade]

I've just had a quote from a (very) local a/c installer for a split system which we want to use for heating/cooling the conservatory.

He's come in at £1800 for:

Supply and fit of a Mitsubishi SRK50ZGX-S (which seems to be about £1k for a non trade sale)
Trunking to cover pipework
Installation of a base for the exterior unit
Connection to consumer unit

I'm struggling to get anyone else to quote within reasonable timescales so was wondering what thoughts people had on this price wise?

Also, is anyone else using this method of conservatory heating? The underfloor that was supplied during the build is not up to scratch and the o/h keeps using a 3.5kw fan heater during the day which is not good for the electricity bill.

[750turbo]

I have looked into a film for the roof of mine, goes in the inside. Apparently this makes a difference by stopping heat escaping in the winter, and the conservatory getting too warm in the summer. I will provide a link to the supplier if you want?

I looked at the small air conditioning units, but could not get my hands on one that heats and cools for a reasonably price.

[razor11]

If it helps at all:

I got quoted just under 1k for the supply and installation of a Mitsubishi SRK40HG (B rated unit, non-inverter type). I shopped around and that was the best I got.

[Bigfatnath]

Sounds like a good price. Deffo go for the inverter type, they will work in heating mode when the outside temperature is very low (below 0 deg) as the non inverters will not. (will not heat at outside temps below 3 deg)

[cpas]

But surely a heating unit is going to still require the same amount of energy as a fan heater, and therefore use just as much electricity?

[caziques]

Bigfatnath said:

Deffo go for the inverter type, they will work in heating mode when the outside temperature is very low (below 0 deg) as the non inverters will not. (will not heat at outside temps below 3 deg)

An inverter heat pump is nothing to do with working at low temperatures. An inverter unit slows the compressor down as the room approaches the set temperature, and hence uses less power and means less fluctuations in temperature.

All heat pumps use more power with lower outside temperatures - but all good brands will still be far more efficient than a fan heater under all circumstances.

I would always recommend Mitsubishi units, probably the best in the world - however I think the SRK50ZIX is technically superior to the ZG.

Depending on the volume of your conservatory a SRK35 could be suitable which would cost less. Eighteen hundred installed sounds about right for the UK if it includes VAT.

[herbialfa]

http://www.uberreview.com/2006/01/lg-art-cool-pict...

[homeimprovements]

Where are you based. I have had aircon company that I sub work out to and it cost me 950 fitted for a mitsubishi unit but it completed on a saturday morning ;-) the usual price I believe is about £1500.

It is a fatastic piece of kit. It cools really we and the heat output in heat mode is great. I currently got it running in heat mode set to 22c and it is using around 5p per hr. It heats our room up within 20mins. Our conservatory is 18 foot by 20 so quite large.

Any more info needed just drop me a line

Nigel

[andy43]

Without wanting to sound like a lentilist, a conservatory isn't the best kind of room to try and heat or cool - either is expensive to run. Do you really need aircon and heating? I'd stick with a little fan heater to take the chill off, and in summer open the windows!

[freecar]

andy43 said:

Without wanting to sound like a lentilist, a conservatory isn't the best kind of room to try and heat or cool - either is expensive to run. Do you really need aircon and heating? I'd stick with a little fan heater to take the chill off, and in summer open the windows!

Hippy!

[badgerade]

Thanks for all the replies, really useful.

andy43 said:

Without wanting to sound like a lentilist, a conservatory isn't the best kind of room to try and heat or cool - either is expensive to run. Do you really need aircon and heating? I'd stick with a little fan heater to take the chill off, and in summer open the windows!

A good point... My o/h uses the conservatory during the day for childminding so needs the room warmish to stop the kids going blue. At the weekend she runs antenatal classes - in the winter she needs the room warm, and in the summer it needs to be cool.

[herewego]

So what the o/h needs is a roof since it isn't a room, it's a conservatory. I believe you can get reflective blinds to reduce solar imput and windows to improve ventilation. If you use aircon you won't be able to open the windows unless you want to cool the garden too.

[peaktorque]

andy43 said:

Without wanting to sound like a lentilist, a conservatory isn't the best kind of room to try and heat or cool - either is expensive to run. Do you really need aircon and heating? I'd stick with a little fan heater to take the chill off, and in summer open the windows!

I have a 6.8kw inverter heat pump in my conservatory with a input of 1.7 kw

6.8 kw of heat out and only 1.7 kw of energy required to run it.

The heat if free, you only pay to run a compressor and two fans (one in, one outside)

It's a very efficient method of heating a room such as this.

To the OP, that sounds like a pretty reasonable quote from your description.

[caziques]

cpas said:

But surely a heating unit is going to still require the same amount of energy as a fan heater, and therefore use just as much electricity?

Absolutely not.

A heat pump has two sides - one hot and one cold. If you want cooling (often then called an air conditioner) the excess heat is fed to to the outside, if you want heating a reversing valve blasts very cold air to the outside.

But this whole process of compressing a refrigerant (which makes it hot), and then reducung the pressure (which makes it cold) uses a lot less electricity than a fan heater, typically 3 to 5 times less (depending on a number of factors).

I can now heat a whole house here in New Zealand using the same amount of power as a fan heater ie about 2kW - the heat pump puts about 12kW of actual heat into the house.

What's the catch? Capital cost.

[Denis O]

andy43 said:

Without wanting to sound like a lentilist, a conservatory isn't the best kind of room to try and heat or cool - either is expensive to run. Do you really need aircon and heating? I'd stick with a little fan heater to take the chill off, and in summer open the windows!

There speaks a man who has never owned a conservatory in a south facing garden. Ours had blinds and smoked glass but was still a furnace in the summer. Without air con it would have topped 40C.

The only issue I found is the optimum position of the unit for cooling is diametrically opposed to heating. Put it up high and get the best postion for cooling.

[andy43]

Denis O said:

andy43 said:

Without wanting to sound like a lentilist, a conservatory isn't the best kind of room to try and heat or cool - either is expensive to run. Do you really need aircon and heating? I'd stick with a little fan heater to take the chill off, and in summer open the windows!

There speaks a man who has never owned a conservatory in a south facing garden. Ours had blinds and smoked glass but was still a furnace in the summer. Without air con it would have topped 40C.

The only issue I found is the optimum position of the unit for cooling is diametrically opposed to heating. Put it up high and get the best postion for cooling.

Guess what I'm building the frame for this weekend? 4.2x5.5, south facing. No heating or aircon planned at all. But the doors will open
Last house had a south facing connie too - the trick in summer is to walk through it into the garden. And stay there. In winter, stay the hell out of it unless the sun's out - and then it's great. We had a 600mm wide double finned rad in the last one - made minimal difference to the temperature. As soon as the sun appears, it's toasty.
Yes, it's possible to heat or cool one, and if the OP needs one for a business that's fair enough, but regulating the temperature of a conservatory is on the same economic footing as a patio heater keeping you warm in the garden.
A heat pump is efficient, it's just that it's got an uphill battle with zero insulation to deal with, that's all.
I'll get me sandals...

Edited by andy43 on Sunday 24th October 10:29

[RJD223]

We normally charge around £1500 + 5% VAT (lower rate of VAT on a domestic heat-pump install).

This would get you a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries SRK50ZGS installed with trunking.

The conservatory builder/electricians normally provide us with a rotary isolator to the outdoor unit and do the electrical connection into the consumer unit themselves (unless the client doesn't have the budget and wants to just connect it to the ring).

If we were to do the electrical installation it'd probably add up to another £200 ish.

So I'd say that £1800 is about right (ish) inc. VAT.

The non-inverter units are significantly cheaper than the inverter units (ridiculously cheap for the trade to buy as no one wants them any more)...

If you've got the extra budget go for the Hyper Inverter system which are more efficient and have better COP's (basically meaning they'll be cheaper to run).

If you're in Manchester (or surrounding areas) PM me and I'll sort you a good price out

Rick.

[peaktorque]

RJD223 said:

This would get you a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries SRK50ZGS.

Mitsubishi Electric every time...........

[RJD223]

peaktorque said:

RJD223 said:

This would get you a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries SRK50ZGS.

Mitsubishi Electric every time...........

I'm with you on that too - but the customer votes with their feet and the MEUK ones are about 20% more expensive. Especially the High COP ones!

Rick...